Aircraft-launching apparatus



Filed Aug.2, 1928 INVENTOR. Ernst 77. ficfime/Z A TTORA'E 3 )5 Patented Mar. 4, 1930 EBNST M. SCHHELZ, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN AIRCRAFT-LAUNGHING APPARATUS Application filed August 2, 1928. Serial No. 207,001;

My invention relates to improved apparatus for facilitating the launching of aircraft.

In the launching of self-propelled, heavier than air aircraft, it is common practice for the machine to travel across the fieldin the desired direction under its own power until suflicient momentum is attained to enable it to rise from the ground. This may be along a predetermined path and generally into the wind. My invention has to do with the provision of means to facilitate this end.

An object resides in the employment/of a trackway upon which the ground wheels of the aircraft may travel, which trackway is preferably circular and has arranged at different points thereabout switch trackways extending tangentially thereto so that an aircraft traveling about the circular trackway may depart therefrom upon any of the tangentially arranged switch trackways so as to come into the air in the desired direction.

A meritorious feature consists in providing such trackway with a suitable guide rail over which a carriage structure carried by the aircraft may travel to hold the aircraft to travel upon the trackway until the carriage is released by the operator and the structure may be such that the carriage releasably engages the rails to be detached therefrom or is permanently coupled with the rail and releasably engages the craft to be disconnected therefrom. The switch trackways are provided with guide rails and switch mechanism is employed 'to establish communication between the switch guide rails and the circularguide rail of the circular trackway.

Other objects, advantages and meritorious features of my invention will morefully appear from the following description, ap-

pended claims and accompanying wherein: I

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary elevation partly in section along line 11 of Fig. 2 of apparatus embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 22 of Fig. 1. i

Fig. 3 is a horizontal fragmentary sectional View through an aircraft and trackway showing apparatus of a modified form em bodying my invention.

40 drawing,

"the trackway is indicated as 10. and support- Figs. 4 and 5 are fra' entar lan views of the trackway shown iil Fig? 3? with the carriage arranged with respect to the uide rails so that in Figure 4 it is coupled t ere- I with and in Fig. 5 it is being released there! from.

Fig. 6 is a plan of my improved trackway.

In workmgout ny invention I employ preferably a circular trackway indicated in Fig. 6 1n diagram as 10 and having arranged at intervals thereabout tangentially posiiJlOIlBd switch trackways 12. This trackway is adapted to serve as a runway for an aircraft when taxying over the ground and in Flg. 3 there appears an enlarged view where 65 ing the ground wheels 14 of an aircraft generally indicated as 16,

The trackwa is provided with a pairof guide rail mcm ers 18 which'are here shown embedded in the trackway at its normal level and provided with a well 20 extending therealong underneath the rails, said rails being spaced apart as indicated in F igf3. These rails preferably extend throughout the length of the trackway along the midline thereof.

These guide rails extend throughout the circular trackway and also along the length of the switch trackways 12, and switch mechanism 13 which is manually operable are provided to place the guide rails of any particular switch trackway in communication with the guide rails of the circular trackwayin any suitable manner well known to this art.

The aircraft, of any conventional type,'is indicated as 16, and a carriage is indicated generally as 21. In Figs. 1 and 2 this carriage is shown. depending from the bottom of the craft and coupled therewith by a drawbar 22 adapted to be actuated by a hand lever 24 by the operator of the craft to release the carriage. v I

In Figs. 1 and 2 the carria e is shown as secured between the'guide rai s 18 to travel thereover and is illustrated as com rising an upright frame 25 having vertica ly spaced apart horizontally extendmg arms 26 and 28. The arms 26 carry rollers 30 which rest upon the upper surface of the guide rails and 4o t the o erator of the craft has complete conwhich have flanges 32 to position the carriage between the guide rails. The lower arms 28 carr rollers 34 which travel underneath the ui e rails and prevent the carriage bein lfted therefromthereby holding the groun wheels 14 of the aircraft to travel over the tackway in the travel of the craft thereover.

In this type of construction the carriage is released from. the craft as hereinabove described. v

In Figs. 3 to 5 inclusive the carriage forms a permanent part of the aircraft and is released from its traveling connection with the guide rails 18. In this type of construction there is provided a shaft 40 journaled in a bearin 42 as indicated in Fig. 3 and carrying at its ower end a roller 44 arran ed in a horizontal plane to travel between t e guide rails 18 and a pair of rollers 46 mounted upon opposite ends of a support 48 to travel underneath the'guiderails.

The shaft 40'is provided with an arm 50 at its upper end to which is attached a tension element 52 which may be a tension element corresponding to that shown in Fi 1 as connecting the lever 24 with the draw ar 22 so that upon its actuation the shaft 40 is rotated through an arc of 90v to brin the rollers 46 into the position shown in ig. 5 to permit their withdrawal through the space between the guide rails and the consequent disconnection therefrom.

With my improved device an aircraft may travel about my circular trackway until sufficient momentum is obtained to ermit it to easily leave the ground and it t on may be shoved off on to one of the switch trackwa s so that if desired it ma stantially into the wind The switch controls may beregulated from the ground and tending tangentially in different directions from the circular trackway, each switch trackway provided with a correspondingly located guide rail having a switch connection with the guide rail of the circular trackway.

2.' In launching apparatus for an aircraft, a circular trackwa for the ground wheels of an aircraft provided with a guide rail extending therealong, a lurality of switch trackways extending re ativcly to the four enter the air su an aircraft,

points of the com ass tangentially with respect to the circu ar trackway, each switch trackway provided with a guide rail corresponding to the guide. rail of the circular trackway and having a switch controlling its communication therewith.

3. In launching apparatus for an aircraft, a circular trackway for the ground wheels of an aircraft provided with a guide rail extending therealong, a plurality of switch trackways extending tangentially therefrom in difierent directions, each switchtrackway provided with a guide rail corresponding to the guide rail of the circular trackway and switch mechanism to establish communication therewith, and a carriage'carried by the aircraft and coupled with said guide rail to travel thereover to hold the aircraft to travel over the trackway.

4. Launching apparatus for an aircraft comprising, in combination, a self-propelled aircraft having ground wheels, a trackway for saidwheels to travel over in the launch ing of the craft under its own power provided with aguide rail extending therealong, a switch trackway provided with a switch guide rail extending away from the first mentioned trackway, a switch controlling the same, a carriage detachably connected with the aircraft to be carried thereby and conpled with said guide rail to travel thereover, and manually operable means controlling said detachable connection.

5. Launching apparatus for an aircraft comprising, in combination, a self-propelled aircraft having ground wheels, a circular trackway for said wheels to travel over in the launching of the craftunder its own power, said trackway provided with a guide rail extending therealong, switch trackways rovided with switch guide rails extending in various directions tangentially from the circular trackway, and a carriagedetachably connected with the aircraft to be carried thereby and coupled with said guide rail to travel thereover to hold the aircraft to travel over the 'trackway,-and manually operable means to release'said detachable connection.

6. Launching apparatus for an aircraft comprising, in combination, a self-propelled aircraft having ground wheels, a trackway for the travel of the ground wheels for the launchin of the craft provided with a pair of s ace apart guide rails embedded in the trac way and extending substantially along the midline thereof and a carriage carried by the craft having parts engaged between and underneath the rails to travel thereover and to hold the craft to travel over the trackwa and manually controlled mechanism 0pera le to swing said parts to pass out between the rails to release thecarriage therefrom.

In testimony whereof, I, ERNST M. SoHMELz, sign this specification.

ERNST M. SCHMELZ. 

